A New Ally
by Cloudrules1111
Summary: During the journey to Costa del Sol, Cloud and AVALANCHE come across a mysterious new character. Witness the story of Meteorfall with a new perspective, and observe the challenges that AVALANCHE faces throughout. (Multiple romances).


_This is too stuffy. _

A man dressed in a blue guard's out cocked his shoulder as he walked out into the sunshine. It blinded him for a moment, causing him to blink his eyes to gather his bearings. While the sunshine started to phase out from his vision, he heard the song of the seagulls flying around the bright area. Another one of his human senses, smell, caused him to take in the aroma of the ocean.

Once the brightness went away, the man was able to see the deck of the ship more clearly. Others dressed in the same uniform as he was walking around the ship. Like himself, some seeming more confused than the others.

"I did say we would make it to the new continent…even if we were wearing Shinra uniforms…" The man muttered to himself, as he took in the sights. It has been quite some time since he was on the ocean, not since the days with SOLDIER. Oddly enough, he couldn't remember the exact moments, but he felt as though he was there before.

"Y-Yes, sir! Everything is quiet, sir!" A voice suddenly popped behind him as he felt a hand on his shoulder. A small hand, but one that gripped him more tightly than he expected. Almost effortlessly, he was turned around to face the owner of the mighty hand.

"H-hey!" The man said in a huff, but the other guard shushed him quickly. Look at the form of the guard, the man noticed the more fit, feminine form. Although the guard uniform was a bit baggier than what he was used to seeing this individual in, he could still tell who it was immediately. "Tif-"

"Don't be too loud, Cloud!" The woman muttered under her breath. Their eyes quickly met. Her crimson red eyes with his blue, Mako eyes. Although hers were of natural beauty, the Mako eyes he had were unnatural. Yet, this did not disconnect her eyes from his. She looked at him with a defiant look.

"I understand why we did this, but I hate this uniform…" The woman muttered as she crossed her arms. "It was easy to recognize you, you know? Just the way you were gawking at everything.."

"Sorry, it's been a while since I've been on this boat. I don't blame you, I'm not a fan of this either." The man named Cloud said. "It reminds me too much of the SOLDIER days, in a way."

"Oh please, we know that you never had to wear this." The woman said, tapping her helmet as she smiled at Cloud. "But, I'm glad to hear you feel the same."

"You think I didn't, Tifa?" Cloud asked as the woman called Tifa dropped her smile. She changed her body language quickly, crossing her arms and taking a step back.

"N-no! I just…didn't know if this would make you miss any of it." Tifa said quickly. She then looked past Cloud and stood at attention. "Y-yes, sir! I'll continue my watch, sir!"

Cloud felt a presence behind them, while Tifa walked away, giggling slightly. Quickly turning around and standing at attention, he faced another guard, but one that he didn't know.

"What are you doing, sailor? You do realize that this is no time for lollygagging." The sailor said as Cloud faked his way to look as orderly as possible. Luckily, with his SOLDIER training, it was almost flawless.

"S-Sorry sir, just got distracted. I haven't been on the sea for quite some time." Cloud stated plainly, while the sailor gave him a puzzling look.

"You…you must be new. Did you come with President Rufus? He did bring his own special unit." The sailor asked with an inquisitive tone in his voice.

"Yes, sir!" Cloud said, realizing that he could have just given up his position. His heart began to race, hoping that the man didn't ask any more questions relating to Rufus or Shinra.

"I see…well, did they at least debrief you about the prisoner we have onboard? Where we are going?" The sailor asked, pointing over to his left. Cloud glanced over to see a tall item that was covered with steel. Nothing was shown, and the only glimpse he would be able to get was out of the small hole in the top of it.

_P_r_isoner? _Cloud thought to himself and became increasingly curious. However, he knew that he had to be as convincing as possible. To do this, he had to put his curiosity aside. Plus, it could be a prisoner of war from Wutai, or another activist trying to save the Planet. These activists in Shinra's eyes were terrorists, and Cloud wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter. l

"Yes, sir!" Cloud said as the sailor looked him up in down. Cloud could tell the sailor was sizing him up. As an ex-SOLDIER, first-class, Cloud had nothing to worry about. He was a very fit young man, as his training gave him abilities, that not every other human being has.

"Well, alright. If you could, please go to the Bridge and stand guard. See if the President or Heidegger needs anything from you." The sailor said, as Cloud nodded and saluted him. He turned, walking around the ship.

_That was close. _

Cloud began to look around the ship as he walked towards the bridge. He began to notice that most of the guardsmen were heavily armed, something he took a mental note of. It was not odd, especially since the President of Shinra was on board the ship heading to Costa De Sol.

Cloud Strife, a former SOLDIER, was now a mercenary with the activist group AVALANCHE, headed by the strong-headed Barrett. Alongside Barrett, they were joined by Tifa, a childhood friend of Cloud's. While in the city of Midgar, the three of them met Aerith, a flower seller in the slums, who joined them against the fight when she was brought in by the Turks. Red XIII, or just simply Red, an experiment found within the Shinra building in Midgar. Unexpectedly, they met Yuffie, a kleptomaniac ninja from the village of Wutai, who also had seasickness. Cloud luckily gave her multiple tranquilizers to calm her down, while Aerith took care of her.

The unlikely "activists" were after Sephiroth, a foe that reappeared after their investigation into the Shinra building. Cloud had a personal vendetta against the man, while Barrett joined to save the Planet, his main goal in the first place. Cloud never really expected to join such a group, but in doing so, it was leading him down a path he didn't know he wanted. Alongside that, he was able to meet Aerith, someone he also didn't think he wanted to be around. Being reunited with Tifa was also incredibly wonderful.

_Wait…why am I thinking about them? I need to focus on Sephi-_

"Ey, spiky-haired prick!"

His thoughts were interrupted by a deep, gruff voice. Cloud also noticed he was finally at the bridge and was standing in front of the individual who hired him for his "activist" cause. Barrett was a tall black man with a gun for a hand, that transformed when needed. Usually, Barrett wore clothes that showed his strong physique. Today, however, Cloud was delighted to see he was dressed in a sailor's outfit. Not only that, Barrett was peering into the window of the bridge, almost like a sailor who wished to be the captain of the ship.

"Shouldn't you be sweeping the shit deck and singing show tunes?" Cloud replied with a snarky voice, chuckling when Barrett turned to face him, glaring.

"Shut the hell up, Cloud! Rufus and Heidegger are in there!" Barrett said angrily, turning back to look in. Cloud then took the opportunity to join him, noticing that indeed the President of Shinra and his tubby 'Head of Public Safety'.

"We can't do anything now, Barrett, or we will be giving ourselves away," Cloud muttered, grabbing the collar of Barrett's outfit, pulling him away with a strength that even amazed himself. Barrett huffed, crossing his arms, but knowing Cloud was right, gave up almost as quickly as he snapped on the spiky-haired warrior.

"I get it! You're right, man…but it's too damn hard to resist!" Barret gripped, and Cloud shook his head.

"Also realize you are the only one who isn't in a Shinra's guard uniform. You're easier to stick out. You have to really lay low." Cloud said as Barrett groaned. Barrett really hated when Cloud was right, something Cloud noted over the numerous times they came head to head in a debate, and in battle.

"Shit…" Barret muttered as he started to walk away from the bridge. But as soon as he reached the stairs to go down to the deck, an alarm went off. Cloud jumped a bit, not expecting the loud sirens to go off. The sirens blared as they both looked around, trying to find the other members of their group.

A piercing voice broke through, yelling a message:

_Emergency alert! Reports of a suspicious character found! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found! I repeat. Suspicious character found on board! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found!_

"Y-Ya don't think it's the others?" Barrett asked in disbelief, while Cloud shook his head, running up to the stairs.

"I hope not, we need to go. The deck should start to be clearing out, so hopefully, they know to meet there." Cloud said as he and Barrett nodded at one another. "Let's go."

Once Cloud and Barrett arrived at the deck, they noticed that it was empty other than four other individuals. Each was wearing a Shinra uniform and were huddled together towards the edge of the deck, near the railing. Oddly enough, one was standing on all fours, some fur slightly poking out from the pant legs. Another had their head dangling over the railing, spitting a few times.

"Good, everyone is here," Cloud muttered thankfully, but his thankfulness was short-lived when he was pushed towards the ground by the behemoth that was Barrett.

"Aight which one of you set the alarm off?!" Barrett yelled but was quickly shut down when one of the guards stomped their foot, removing their helmet. Long dark brown hair flowed out, crimson eyes barring rage at the giant man. The woman gritted her teeth in anger.

"Give it a rest, Barrett! We all played it safe. Some other asshole is on board!" Tifa yelled at the grown man, while the other individual beside her removed her helmet. Light brown hair and green eyes were now visible to the world, with light skin shining in the sun. A nervous smile appeared on her face as she looked at both Barrett and Tifa.

"We need to stay calm, you two." The woman said, as she gently put the helmet on the ground. She then removed the helmet off the four-legged guard, revealing a red dog like looking face. "Red, how are you feeling?"

"Much better being on four legs. Walking like a human is so odd. Thank you for the help, Aerith." The creature called Red XIII said, showing a smile of appreciation towards the woman. Aerith smiled back but dropping it as soon as they heard a gagging noise. The guard who hung over the railing lost her helmet, revealing short hair and dark eyes. She was throwing up.

"Y-Yuffie! Are you okay?" Aerith said, running up to the small ninja. She began patting the younger woman's back, while the other continued to spit up.

"T-those tranquilizers wore off…and I'm so hot…" The girl groaned as Cloud nodded his head.

"Wearing these have no point anymore, we can take them off. We're all good underneath, right?" Cloud asked as everyone nodded. "Alright, let change and figure out what is going on."

"Do you think it's Sephiroth…?" Tifa asked, her mood changing from anger to one of worry. Aerith, Red, and Barrett looked at Cloud with the same concerned face, while Cloud removed his helmet. Spikey blond hair protruded in an almost unnatural fashion.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, then looking up. "I…I don't know. We won't know until we go." Cloud said as he looked at the team around him. "First thing is first, we need to get out of these clothes."

Barrett put his gun arm up and beamed with a huge grin. "Hell yea! Then we're gonna kick Shinra's ass! And Sephiroth-"

As suddenly he began, he stopped when a knock on steel came from around them. "W-what the hell was that?" Barrett said, scanning the deck. He then put his hand on the forearm of his gun arm, as it transformed. Tifa quickly adopted a battle stance as well, as Cloud moved closer to Aerith.

"I don't know…keep your guard up." Cloud said as he stood close to the flower girl and the ninja. The creature, Red, began to sniff the area, looking around. Cloud noticed this and gawked at him. "Red, are you not-"

"No, Cloud, this scent is not threatening," Red said, as he looked around the deck. Suddenly, the knock was heard again, and this time it came from a more distinct direction. They all looked towards the steel contraption that was near them, up against the railing.

"Yo, I don't trust this shit." Barrett said as he put the gun towards the case. "Too sketchy."

"Is it as sketchy as a bunch of people dressing up in guard uniforms on a Shinra ship?" A voice said suddenly from inside the case. It had a mute to it due to being encased in the steel case. It sounded tired, but also had a hint of attitude in it.

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Barrett said, his fear dropping and hitting the case, making it move slightly. The voice inside chuckled a bit.

"Woah! Didn't mean to press a button." The voice stated as Cloud walked up to the door. Looking inside, it was very dark. It was almost as though there was no other light source than the small opening in the door. He could also feel the heat from the inside on his face the closer he stood to it.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked wearily. When the question was finished, a pair of dark blue eyes popped up in front of him. Cloud didn't jump back but stared deeply into them.

The eyes were deep, almost like the ocean itself. Around those eyes were bags, heavy ones, almost as though the individual hasn't been sleeping. He took note of something else on the individual's right eye, a large cut that was vertical down, most likely a scar of some type. Cloud could not see anything else, and the voice responded.

"Someone on their last leg. Can you please let me out? I'm dying in here." The voice said with a sense of urgency, as Cloud continued to stare into the deep blue eyes.

"Ah, hell no, don't you fuckin' dare!" Barrett stated as he put his gun arm up closer to the door. "I don't like this shit, I don't like it ONE damn bit."

"Look, I know what it seems like, but I can't defend myself right now. I can't breathe, I only drink water and eat the bread they give me now and then. I'm pretty weak right now. I can barely do ANYTHING. Please, let me out. I'll explain what I can!" The voice pleaded, with a sense of desperation coming from the sounds it was making.

Cloud looked at the others. Everyone, but Yuffie, seemed concerned. He had his doubts, concerned about who could be in there. This was a prisoner of Shinra, and even though they were not the good guys, this individual could have a dangerous history.

"Cloud, may I?"

Cloud snapped out of his thought to notice Aerith beside him, who had her eyes on the opening of the case.

"I don't know, Aerith, it could be a trap." Cloud said, crossing his arms, but he was surprised when Aerith pushed him out of the way. She looked within the case and stared into the eyes of the mysterious person.

After a moment, she turned to Cloud and nodded her head. "I think we should let them out. I don't think they'll be a threat…"

"Are you fuckin' kidding?!" Barrett yelled, until Cloud shushed him. Cloud turned back to Aerith, who had a faint smile on her face.

"Are you sure?" Cloud asked while Aerith nodded her head, her smile growing bigger. Cloud stared at her a moment longer, admiring the beauty and sincerity of her smile. Her emerald green eyes that shined with kindness, something that was not a quality in most people nowadays.

Cloud's cheeks began to feel a burning sensation, and he turned toward the door, sighing to relieve some of that feeling, to no avail. He shook his head, then looked at the case. "Alright, we'll help. How do you open this thing?"

"Oh thank the PLANET!" The voice yelled with delight, as Cloud smacked the door. "O-oh, sorry! Believe it or not, this door opens from the outside. I just can't open it from here." The voice explained as Cloud grabbed the door handle.

"W-What's goin-" Yuffie moved her head up, but quickly turned back to the ocean to vomit. Aerith ran back over to her, supporting her head as the ninja spit more. Although she was out of commission, Cloud knew Yuffie would have something to say about this, as she did everything.

"Cloud, are you sure?" Tifa asked, while Cloud just nodded to her. He then turned the door handle, a blast of heat coming out on him as a body came tumbling out. Cloud moved but grabbed the arm of the person to stop them from falling directly on the deck.

A young man fell from out of the case, his arm being held by the ex-SOLDIER. He had dirty blond hair, hair that was long, almost down to his shoulders if he didn't have it in a small bun in the back of his head. His skin was tan, and he had a lean muscular built, one that Cloud could tell hasn't eaten very much in the past few days. He wore a cut off black shirt, with grey shorts, something that Cloud has seen prisoners of Shinra wear before. He was shoeless and had no other items of clothing on.

His face had sweat all over it, and Cloud's intuition was correct as a deep, dark scar went across the right side of his forehead down to the cheekbone, just past the eye. The young man was breathing heavily, and looked up at Cloud, with a shocked look on his face.

"Y-You actually helped me!" The young man exclaimed as Cloud noticed Barrett crossed his arms, looking irritated.

"Yea, don't ruin it, lil' white boy." Barrett said, but this mysterious young man stood up, making Cloud lose his grip. He began taking in a deep breath as he outstretched his arms, fingers open as he took in the air.

"The wind, it feels so nice." The young man said as he looked at Cloud. He was only an inch shorter than Cloud, and only a bit smaller than him as well. The young man sighed deeply in relief, and faced Cloud completely, holding out his hand.

"Thank you, so much." The young man said, as Cloud awkwardly grabbed his hand, shaking it.

"You're welcome…?" Cloud held the last part of the word welcome out, as the young man then gasped in realization.

"Oh! I didn't introduce myself." The young man said, dropping Cloud's hand, and looking at the others. He smiled sheepishly, putting his hand behind his head. He scratched right above the hair bun and chuckled. "Sorry, I've been stuck in that thing for over a day now and I have to admit, it felt like an eternity!" The man then put his hand down to his side.

"My name is Hiro Aoyama! I'm a swordsman from a small village on the other continent. However, I did some of my growing up in Midgar. I was captured by Shinra while in sector five, and have been stuck in this thing-" The young man tapped the steel case, an annoyed look popping on his face as he did so. "-since yesterday."

"Why were you captured, Hiro?" Aerith asked as Cloud narrowed his eyes at the young man. Captured was a much different word than arrested. Studying Hiro, he didn't seem that he possessed anything Shinra was interested in.

"Well, you see…" Hiro began, putting his hand behind his head. His eyes looked up in the sky, and he signed deeply. "I…have a history with Shinra. However, it's not important-"

"LIKE HELL IT ISN'T!" Barrett yelled at the young man, making Hiro jump in surprise at the sudden outburst. "How can we trust a shady kid like you if you don't tell us why Shinra thinks you're shady?"

Hiro crossed his arms, smirking a bit. Cloud took note of the smile, one that came off as a bit cocky. Something about this kid seemed very familiar to Cloud, a feeling that he couldn't really describe.

"I didn't say I would tell you everything now, did I?" Hiro said, snickering as Barrett became increasingly frustrated, about to open his mouth again. Before he did, Hiro's attitude did a complete one-eighty. His face became serious, and he cocked his head towards Cloud.

"Look. I heard the announcement like you all did. I heard that Sephiroth may be on board. With you all talking about the possibility he is here." The sudden change in tone made Barrett step back in his anger, with everyone studying Hiro closely.

"That could be the case-" Cloud began, with Hiro cutting him off very quickly after.

"That's impossible. Sephiroth disappeared years ago. I heard of the President's murder…but only hearsay." Hiro said, turning towards the ex-SOLDIER. "Yet, if you all say he is back…" Hiro looked at the others around him, with a sign of worry in his face. This struck out to Cloud, making him feel a sense of familiarity with the young man.

"Then we need to take action, now." Hiro said, uncrossing his arms. "I-"

"What is this WE shit?" Barrett grabbed Hiro by the shoulder and turned the boy to face him. "You ain't apart of the squad. You aren't apart of AVALANCHE. We helped you out, that's it."

"I understand. But it seems like you could use some assistance." Hiro said, looking at the others and turning back to Barrett. "For one, one of your members seems like she is out of commission."

_Checkmate. _Cloud thought as he looked down at Yuffie. The young, cocky ninja didn't even seem to be in the conversation. She was constantly throwing up, while Aerith patted her back softly.

"How do we know you can fight, though?" Barrett stated, and Hiro shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"You don't. All you can do is hope I don't get myself killed."

"This kid is a smartass…reminds me of someone." Tifa suddenly appeared beside Cloud, whispering in his ear. Cloud didn't say anything, but continued to study the young man.

For some reason, Cloud felt something towards him. Almost as if he has seen him before, or someone that was very much like him. It was an odd sensation, not one that gnawed at his gut, but one that made him feel as though he was forgetting something. Something that could be beneficial to understanding the boy's motives.

Barrett's mouth closed after staying open for about ten seconds, thinking of something to say. He turned away from the young man, walking forward. It was silent for a moment, until he broke the silence.

"Everyone, what do ya think?"

"I don't see why the boy couldn't come with us. He did state that he would be replacing Yuffie in battle." Red said, walking closer to the boy with a studious look on his face. "My only concern is that he lacks equipment and that clothes he wears don't seem to be comfortable."

"I'm sure there will be something down in the cargo area he could use." Tifa jumped in, walking away from Cloud as she put her hands behind her back. She looked at the young man, smiling. "Plus, it is always nice to have someone who can actually shut Barrett up for a change." At this, Barrett cracked his knuckles but continued his silence.

"I don't see why he couldn't join, at least until we got to Costa De Sol." Aerith stated, not taking her hand away from Yuffie, but looked at the other members of the activist group. "It may just be my intuition, but I don't think he is going to do anything. He seems to have a kind heart. I'm sure he could tell us more once we arrive there, as well." She then looked at Hiro, smiling. Hiro chuckled a bit, smiling back at the flower girl.

"I just want tranquilizers!" Yuffie groaned, completely oblivious to the conversation at hand. Despite the outburst, Hiro turned to Cloud.

"What say you?" Hiro asked, and Cloud crossed his arms. He closed his eyes in thought, focusing on the decision making process. On one hand, it would be nice having another hand in the fight, especially with Yuffie being out of commission. On the other, they didn't know if he could fight or if they could really trust him. Yet, the feeling he has been experiencing trumped the logical thought, as did Aerith's trust.

"You can join, at least until Costa De Sol. After that, we can decide where to go from there." Cloud said, opening his eyes and meeting with Hiro's. Hiro's grin widened, and he pumped his fist quickly.

"Alright!"

"Shit…" Barrett muttered, walking away to find somewhere to change, and to blow off steam. He stopped and turned to everyone. "Get a move on, we spent too much time out here. Get changed!"

Everyone nodded, walking away to separate parts of the deck that were hidden from view. Aerith and Tifa both carried Yuffie, who continued to have her motion sickness. Red walked away, although they doubted that the creature could get the uniform off by himself. At that moment, Hiro and Cloud were left alone.

"I never caught your name." Hiro asked, looking at Cloud as he began to remove the top of the guard uniform.

"Cloud Strife. EX-SOLDIER, now a mercenary. Not really apart of this group…" Cloud stated, removing the top of his uniform to reveal his purple shirt.

"An ex-SOLDIER? I met someone in it once. He was First-Class. Can't remember his name though…" Hiro said as he turned to look at the ocean.

Silence hit the both of them as Cloud finished changing. Hiro continued to look out at the ocean, breathing deeply, loud enough for Cloud to hear. It didn't bother the ex-SOLDIER, however, due to the understanding of being trapped in a steel case for a day. The heat that hit Cloud made him feel some pity for the young man, but the mystery of his background didn't further it beyond sympathy. As Cloud put on the rest of his equipment, Hiro spoke up.

"Well, glad to be a new ally on your team."

"It's only a temporary thing, you know that right?" Cloud asked as he turned to the young man. Surprising to Cloud, he saw a smile on Hiro's face. Not a snarky one, but one that seemed very sincere. The young man turned to Cloud, the smile remaining on his face.

"I don't know. Sometimes temporary things can become long-term." Hiro said, causing Cloud to chuckle a bit.

"Not into men, Hiro."

Hiro's face turned red, and he scratched the back of his head. "That's definitely not what I meant, man."

"Either way…" Cloud said, walking past Hiro towards the door to the cargo bay, while the other AVALANCHE members were beginning to reunite to face their new threat. "It'll be nice to see what this 'new ally', can do."

Hiro's blushing faded, and his face changed to one of a determined warrior. He grinned with excitement.

"Let's go."


End file.
